E46 gone wrong again

acemastr

acemastr

acemastr

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Not having much luck with this thing.

I have a coolant leak on the upper radiator hose on what looks to be a plastic screw(??). I'm not entirely certain what this is but coolant is coming out of it, not at an alarming rate but enough to steam a bit when I got to work this morning.

I seem to be struggling to find parts for my 330ci (01) on the net, does anyone have any tried and trusted sources for parts?

If I replace the entire upper hose it should sort it(I hope), I also hope that this is not simply the expansion tank letting off excess pressure.

The temp guage gets to half way and sits there, thermostat was replaced in January. Also noticed that the main radiator fan is coming on a lot over the past few days so have a replacement water temp sensor en route as well which i'll swap.

All input greatly appreciated.
 
That's the bleed screw - Very, very unusual thing to go wrong as it's just a screw on a thread though I guess it could be a sign of a massive air lock - can you tighten it? Should be sealed tight

*edit -Ah wait a minute, a screw on the hose itself?? not the retaining / jubilee clip or at the top of the expansion tank?
 
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acemastr said:
I seem to be struggling to find parts for my 330ci (01) on the net, does anyone have any tried and trusted sources for parts?
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I always found that BMW were a decent and trusted source for parts.

For most things they weren't that much more expensive (if at all) than dodgy eBay sellers, and you have the added bonus that you a) know it will be the correct part, and b) can pick it up same (or next, if they don't have any in stock) day.

Other than when I needed a turbo and an aircon compresson, I didn't bother going anywhere else. Most ancillary stuff isn't overpriced enough to waste my time hunting around for prices and waiting weeks for delivery.
 
Excellent, thanks guys, will check at lunch but I could press the plastic screw down and it moved half a mm or so, so it does seem like it's worked its way loose.

It is a plastic screw, not a proper wood screw or anything :)
 
I paid £4+VAT each for dash illumination bulbs the other day, felt pretty overpriced.

Is there not a UK online retailer for BMW OEM parts? It's a PITA trekking to the dealer to get things.
 
acemastr said:
Excellent, thanks guys, will check at lunch but I could press the plastic screw down and it moved half a mm or so, so it does seem like it's worked its way loose.

It is a plastic screw, not a proper wood screw or anything :)
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They are £2.81 inc VAT at BMW, I had to buy 2 for an E39 yesterday!
 
Clarkey said:
I paid £4+VAT each for dash illumination bulbs the other day, felt pretty overpriced.

Is there not a UK online retailer for BMW OEM parts? It's a PITA trekking to the dealer to get things.
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http://www.cooper-bmw-parts.co.uk/

They will ship from whatever dealer has the parts, postage isn't too much either. Also look on e36coupe.com at the traders section as there are various different places (dealers included) that will supply new or used parts at a discounted rate to forum members. :)
 
Well... it's definitely the bleed screw that's at fault, it's snapped, i could undo it with my fingers when I went out so it looks like it snapped a while back, most likely when I had the thermostat changed.

Unfortunately the screw won't go back in now... so I can't drive it!

Bloody BMW's...
 
I was going to say- do not tighten it by more than a quarter turn as it will snap! Might be the rubber seal that has perished- they should not need to be done up tight.
 
well, got a new screw, that's fine now, but there's coolant spray on the right side of the car, looks like my radiator has gone pop. Temps are fine interestingly, wonder how much a radiator is!
 
acemastr said:
well, got a new screw, that's fine now, but there's coolant spray on the right side of the car, looks like my radiator has gone pop. Temps are fine interestingly, wonder how much a radiator is!
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That's the overflow, you haven't bled the cooling system properly.
 
I can't see where it's coming from except that the undertray(right side and a little left when looking at car from the front) has spray on it, as does the passenger wheel arch and there's a bit of steam coming from that way(not much).

The reason I noticed the bleed screw this morning was because there was steam coming out the passenger wheel arch, could it be that the bleed screw has let air into the system? I topped it up again on Saturday as it was passed the minimum, assumed it was from when the thermostat was changed.
 
I suspect it's just the usual cheese-made M54 cooling system causing trouble again, the radiator itself has probably gone.

Get it into a decent indy. Replace the radiator, waterpump and top and bottom hose, perhaps the header tank as well. Forget about the cooling system for another 5 years, job done.
 
[TW]Fox;21417434 said:
I suspect it's just the usual cheese-made M54 cooling system causing trouble again, the radiator itself has probably gone.

Get it into a decent indy. Replace the radiator, waterpump and top and bottom hose, perhaps the header tank as well. Forget about the cooling system for another 5 years, job done.
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BMW like making things out of cheese - on the M52 anyway. Last night clarkey and I tried to re-fit the rocker cover which I fitted earlier in the week and was leaking, and this time do it with some sealant.

After snapping no less than four of the protruding bolts which you bolt the cover down with we finally got it in place. The four bolts which snapped required next to no force to snap them. I appreciate the engine is many, many years old but these bolts really did feel like cheese. Not to mention the frustration of having to unbolt all of the bolts I'd already put in to get the snapped stub out.

As lovely as the car is, I'm really not impressed with the quality of the nuts and bolts used, one of the water pump bolts rounded off when I accidentally put the socket within six feet of it.

Anyway, enough thread hijack :p
 
Understand that, I'm currently replacing Crank Case Ventilation System due leaking & the elbow boot from the throttle body due to 10p size hole appearing!
 
Local BMW specialist:

Water pump, Radiator, Top Hose, Bottom Hose and both belts: £488 inc labour and VAT
Radiator VAT and labour: £229 on its own
 
acemastr said:
Local BMW specialist:

Water pump, Radiator, Top Hose, Bottom Hose and both belts: £488 inc labour and VAT
Radiator VAT and labour: £229 on its own
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I've just priced a RAD up from Eurocarparts.

£45 + Vat.
 
I wouldnt put a 45 quid rad on a 330Ci, get something decent or do the job again in 12 months time.

That said I bet that £229 inc vat quote includes pretty much that £45 rad and the rest is labour/profit for the indy.
 
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